Socialist Libertarian Party
Now a seasoned party Kalistanian politics, the Socialist Labour Party of Kalistan is currently the second largest party in Parliament, and they hold the Presidency. After a twenty year long slump following a sharp decline in electoral fortune, the SLP has recently achieved one of the highest number of seats in Parliament in its history, and currently holds key Cabinet positions including the Chancellery, Finance and Education. The party believe's in the individual's right to live their personal life as they see fit, while maintaining a socialist welfare economy to help not only the poorest in society, but citizens at every level. =Beginnings= The party was founded by John Williams and Elizabeth Richards, supported by the original members of the National Congress, in Kaliburg in 2342. Active in the Ananto local political scene, the founders of the party had become disenchanted with the existing political system. In the words of Williams, "We looked around and saw a several parties, some of which we supported in certain areas, but no one party which would encapsulate the idea of a socialist state which leaves its citizens to run their own private lives." Williams' statement that the party intended to be different from others has since been followed through, with their voting record in Parliament not corresponding to any other party. Since the party's formation, John Williams has come to increasingly exert his influence over members, and this was seen most strongly when he was the party's choice to be Head of Government, with the younger Richards being the parties usual candidate for the largely ceremonial Presidency. =Parliamentary Record= Early Election Showings Peak and Fall The party reached its early electoral peak in the 2349 elections. Second place in the Presidential elections, the Governorship of Ananto (54/147 seats), strong showings in the other Provinces, and the second largest number of seats in Parliament (105/615 seats) were the reward for a toughly fought electoral campaign. However, the majority of the seats won for Parliament were from Ananto, leaving the party vulnerable to collapse with just one province supporting it. Perhaps the most important Bill to be passed during this Parliament was the SLP's Government Reform Bill, which removed from the President the sole power to propose a cabinet. As a result, a cabinet proposed by the Kalistani Revolutionary Union passed, giving the SLP four cabinet positions: Head of Government, Defence, Health and Social Services, and Environment and Tourism. However, just as the party seemed to be going from strength to strength, disaster struck in the 2352 elections. While the party a decrease in vote in every province, it saw a complete collapse of support in Ananto Province, going from 36.31% to 7.23%. This destroyed the party's standing in Parliament, leaving it as the smallest party with just 29 seats. As part of the process of rebuilding the SLP's national standing, Williams introduced an Education Bill in April 2353, seeking sweeping reforms in the education system which, the SLP hopes, will be popular enough to help restore them to a stronger position in Parliament. A Steady Position And Moving Up Following their decrease in support, the SLP maintained a presence in Parliament of between 20 and 60 seats in successive elections. The party kept relatively quiet during the period, not participating fully in proceedings. However with the collapse of several parties in 2369 the SLP again took an active role. This was rewarded in the 2371 election, where the SLP polled in third place, with 99 seats, the second highest number in its history. This was largely facilitated by the return of support in Ananto, where the party regained the governorship, with 26% of the vote in that province. However, unlike the election of 2349, it was well in the other provinces as well, taking third place in two provinces, and fourth in the remaining two. A Cabinet proposed by the Communism Wow! Party in 2371 returned the now 61 year old John Williams to Head of Government, and gave the SLP several other important positions. In October 2373, the SLP set a new record for the number of seats it held in Parliament, reaching 125 (the previous record being 105, set in 2349), making it the third largest party, but without the governorship of any Province. March 2374 elections promoted the SLP once again; it broke its recently set record and took a significant 181 seats, making it once again the second largest party in Parliament, and the governorship of Odufaray province. Electoral Collapse While some in the party could have expected the SLP to maintain a good showing in the 2377 elections, it was not to be. The SLP's vote share dropped by 21%, and their number seats in parliament were reduced to 52. A renaming of the party, adding "of Kalistan" to the end of the name, failed to have the intended effect of making the party seem slightly more nationalist, and the number of seats held by the SLPK remained at 52 in the 2380 elections. One commentator speculated that the SLPs shift towards a more communist economic policy, and a near abandonment of many of its libertarian ideals, were responsible for the SLPs inability to gain popularity. Somehow, the SLP had held onto all the Cabinet positions gained in 2371, but 10 years after those positions were gained, the 2381 Cabinet Proposal removed all SLPK Ministers from office, including Chancellor Williams. In 2389, in an elections that was to have major repercussions for leadership, the Socialist Libertarian Party fell to it's worst ever showing, managing to take just 19 seats in Parliament. Post 2389 In the aftermath of the 2389 Congress (below) the party proposed many bills to Parliament. The SLP's legislative program reflected Hopkins' centre-left political ideology, as he new leader attempted to shift the party from the more extreme left towards a democratic-socialist position. Early reward came in the 2392 elections with a small rise in electoral fortune, gaining an additional 13 seats. A cabinet proposed by the Party of Liberty and Prosperity in 2394 and passed by Parliament gave the SLP four cabinet positions. In the 2395 elections, the SLP had probably its best ever showing. It won 100 seats in Parliament and Elizabeth Richards, now 76, won the Presidency, and it regained the control of Odufaray (now called a State) While the number of seats won is below the party's maximum, this was the first time the SLP was able to take the Presidency. In a March 2395 proposal, the SLP regained the Chancellery, with Alan Hopkins taking the position, and other important positions. Three of the ministries held in the cabinet after 2394 are ministries never held before by the SLP. A new budget was successfully passed by the SLP in late 2395 which substantially raised funding for education, health, welfare, and the Department of the Interior. =2389 National Party Congress= The 2389 meeting of the National Party Congress (also known as the Port Davon Event, after the location of the meeting) was to be crucial in deciding the future of the party. John Williams, at this point aged 79, faced the first serious challenge to his leadership since he assumed the position of Parliamentary Leader in 2342. His challenger was Alan Hopkins, former Minister for Defence, who promised to move the party closer to the political centre. In a shock result, Williams was defeated by a margin of just three votes, and Hopkins took office as Parliamentary Leader. Williams, the man who had controlled the SLP since its founding, and had led it to three stints at the apex of government, was found dead in his hotel room the next day of an apparent heart attack. The next shock was when the well-respected Chairperson Elizabeth Richards was defeated by just 1 vote by challenger David Milburn, although she has since kept her position as the party's official Presidential candidate. After the first two close votes, the old guard of the party was quickly swept away in landslide margins after it became clear that something of revolution was under way. Claire Ramsey moved from General Secretary to Deputy Parliamentary Leader (effectively Deputy Leader of the Party) deposing Gareth Smith, and Chris Johnston became General Secretary, and the youngest Congress member in the party's history, aged 28. The last person to lose their position in the party Executive was Siobhan McCormick, with James Stuart becoming the new Treasurer. In three hours the five most powerful positions within the party had changed hands, power transferring to a younger generation of activist. The oldest of the new office-holders, David Milburn (aged 45) wasn't even born when the party was founded in 2342. At the Congress, the new Executive announced candidacies for the following year, with these changes: Chancellor: John Williams replaced by Alan Hopkins (prev. Defence) Foreign Affairs: Gareth Smith replaced by Claire Ramsey (prev. Internal Affairs) Internal Affairs: Claire Ramsey replaced by David Milburn (prev. Health and Social Services) Finance: Siobhan McCormick replaced by James Stuart (new appointment) Defence: Alan Hopkins replaced by Ulysses Burns (new appointment) Justice: James Smith replaced by Chris Johnston (new appointment) Health and Social Services: David Milburn replaced by Sarah Travers (prev. Science and Technology) Education and Culture: Stephen Evans replaced by Catheryn Leonard (new appointment) Science and Technology: Sarah Travers replcaed by Mark Khatak (new appointment) =Party Structures= The party is governed by an annual National Party Congress, which elects a Party Executive. Current Executive positions are: Parliamentary Leader: Alan Hopkins (2389-), John Williams (2342-2389) Chairperson: David Milburn (2389-), Elizabeth Richards (2342-2389) Deputy Parliamentary Leader: Claire Ramsey (2389-), Gareth Smith (2364-2389) General Secretary: Chris Johnston (2389-), Claire Ramsey (2381-2389) Treasurer: James Stuart (2389-), Siobhan McCormick (2371-2389) Union Representative: Christopher Williams (2371-) Recruitment Secretary: Joaquim Asho (2364-) All positions are reviewed at the annual Congress, and the Party Executive appoints candidates for Cabinet Ministries. In theory, the most powerful position is the Chairperson, who co-ordinates and manages the activities of the party as a whole. The Parliamentary Leader is responsible only for the party's Parliamentary body, and the General Secretary responsible for the day-to-day running of other areas of party activities. However, under John Williams, power became increasingly centralised under the Parliamentary Leader. Therefore, whoever holds the position of Parliamentary Leader should be considered the leader of the party. =Cabinet Positions= Head of Government (Chancellor) John Williams (Aug 2351-Dec 2353) John Williams (Sep 2371-2381) Alan Hopkins (Mar 2395-) Defence Victor Johnson (Aug 2351-Dec 2353) Alan Hopkins (Sep 2371-2381) Health and Social Services Theresa Brown (Aug 2351-Dec 2353) David Milburn (Jan 2359-Jun 2362) Sarah Travers (Mar 2395-) Environment and Tourism Wouter Peters (Aug 2351-Dec 2353) Infrastructure and Transport Emma Wright (Jan 2359-Jun 2362) Emma Wright (March 2374-2381) Emma Wright (Nov 2394-) Food and Agriculture Joaquim Esho (Jan 2359-Jun 2362) Joaquim Esho (Sep 2371-March 2374) Science and Technology Sarah Travers (Sep 2371-2381) Mark Khattak (Nov 2394-Mar 2395) Finance James Stuart (Nov 2394-) Internal Affairs David Milburn (Mar 2395-) Education and Culture Catheryn Leonard (Nov 2394-) In addition, the SLP has twice appointed Val Franks to the Constitutional Court. Category:Kalistan